


One Night

by Julesmonster



Category: Glee
Genre: Angst, Drama, M/M, Mpreg
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-09-24
Updated: 2012-09-24
Packaged: 2017-11-14 23:29:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 21,774
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/520630
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Julesmonster/pseuds/Julesmonster
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The party at Rachel's house during BIOTA resulted in some pretty serious consequences for Kurt Hummel.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
> 
> A/N: This story is AU, simply because it is an MPreg, but other than that it is compliant with canon all the way through the end of the second season. Though I don't talk a whole lot about specific events, there are some generalities that may be taken as spoilers. This is another angst-ridden fic, even if it does have some brighter moments. There are eight chapters (with a short epilogue included in the eighth chapter). I hope you enjoy. Jules

Kurt groaned as he flopped back on his bed. One night; it was just one stinking night and now it was going to change everything. A part of him wanted to say that it would ruin everything, but he couldn't really say that. He knew that everything would be different, but he couldn't say that it would be a terrible sort of different. He wouldn't know that for five more months. The part that was bad was the fact that he was going to have to sit down and explain this to his father. And Blaine. How the hell was he supposed to tell either of them. And then there was…

Kurt refused to think of him right now. He had to get through the rest of this first and then he could deal with the other.

Kurt thought back on how this had all started. He had been feeling a bit under the weather for a while; easily nauseated, tired, itchy, and moody beyond belief. He hadn't really given it much thought, however, until he was trying to button his favorite pair of skinny jeans and couldn't. He'd put his hands around his waist and then he'd felt… _it_.

 _It_ was a lump in his abdomen. That lump had scared him. He'd automatically begun to think tumor and cancer and dying. He'd tried to ignore it for a few days, but he wasn't sleeping and he was crying even more than before and he knew he had to find out for sure one way or the other. And so Kurt had made an appointment with his doctor and had gone after school and now he knew.

Kurt wasn't dying. Kurt Elizabeth Hummel was pregnant.

Who knew that guys could even get pregnant? Certainly not him. But Dr. Kearns had been his doctor his whole life and Kurt trusted him. If Dr. Kearns said he was pregnant, he was pregnant. In fact, Dr. Kearns walked with him over to the obstetrician's office in the same complex and they borrowed the sonogram machine. Dr. Kearns showed him the baby on the screen and even made pictures for him to bring home with him. To Kurt, it looked like a blob of white on a black background, but both Dr. Kearns and Dr. Feinstein, the obstetrician, assured him that was his baby.

Kurt pulled out the picture and stared at it. Nope. It still just looked like a blob to him.

"Kurt?"

Burt Hummel was home and Kurt was not ready to have this talk with his father. But, he didn't really think waiting would make it any easier. He sat up on his bed and took a deep breath before calling back. In just a minute, Burt Hummel was down the hall and had poked his head through the door.

"Hey kiddo," Burt said with a smile. "I thought you'd be in the kitchen. It was your night to cook."

"Sorry," Kurt said with a sigh. "Something came up."

Burt stepped into the room and closed the door behind him. "You okay?"

"Yes. No. I'm not really sure," Kurt said.

"Well that certainly clears things up," Burt said with a nervous chuckle. He sat down on the bed beside Kurt and put his arm around his shoulders. "Talk to me, Kurt. I can't help if you don't tell me what's going on."

Kurt gave a tearful chuckle and swiped away the moisture that seemed to always be leaking from his eyes these days. "I haven't been feeling well for a while now, and so I made an appointment to go see Dr. Kearns."

"What'd he say?" Burt asked fearfully as he subconsciously tightened his hold on Kurt.

Kurt hugged his father back with one arm and leaned his head on his shoulder. "He said that I'm perfectly healthy... And so is my baby."

Burt Hummel froze and Kurt could feel his whole body tense up. "B-baby?"

"Yeah," Kurt said softly. He pulled out the sonogram photos and handed them to his dad. Burt looked at the two prints and Kurt noticed that his hands were shaking. "Dad…"

"Geez kiddo," Burt muttered before grabbing Kurt into a hug. "I knew it was possible and I should have told you, but… how do you tell your son… Your mom would have known what to do. What to say. I'm so sorry Kurt."

Kurt pulled away. "Wait. You knew? What did you know?"

Burt looked away. "When you were little, there was talk on the news about boys that were being born with the ability to get pregnant, they called it a progressive evolutionary variation, whatever that means. It had something to do with genes and sexuality or something, but it was only a very small percentage of boys who were born with this difference and it really only affects the boys who are gay, so it very rarely ever shows up. But your mom, she knew. I'm not sure how, but she knew and she insisted we get you tested. Dr. Kearns did the tests when you were three."

"So you knew I could get pregnant?" Kurt asked with bewilderment. "Why didn't you ever tell me?"

Burt shook his head and looked at Kurt. "I should have; I can see that now. But it was just so hard talking about that stuff and I thought I still had time. But now…" He stopped and took a deep breath. "I should have sat you down as soon as you told me about you and Blaine. The only positive I can see is that at least that kid has his head on straight."

Kurt blushed. "It's not his."

Burt stared at his son. "What do you mean, it's not his?"

"I mean, I've never had sex with Blaine. It happened before he and I got together," Kurt said. "It was that night that we went to the party at Rachel's in February. Everyone but Finn and I were drinking. Blaine was drunk and ended up kissing Rachel. I was really mad and so when… when Noah kissed me, I kissed him back. He… I don't even know if he regrets that night. He's never talked about it. I think Finn suspected that _something_ happened but I don't think he's guessed what exactly."

"I know it was dumb to do it, " Kurt said with tears in his eyes. "I know. I mean, I liked Blaine, but I slept with Puck anyway and it was wrong and I never should have done it. But I was so hurt by what they were doing and he seemed to really want me and I just wanted to not feel so alone… but I know it was stupid and I'm sorry." By the end of his rambling speech, Kurt was sobbing.

Burt took a deep breath before hugging Kurt again. "It's gonna be okay, kiddo. We're gonna get you through this."

Kurt cried into his father's shoulder. "Blaine's gonna hate me."

"Maybe," Burt said. "Maybe not. Right now, I think you need to think about what you're going to say to this Noah kid. Wait. Noah… As in Puckerman? Tell me you don't mean the Mohawk kid?"

Kurt couldn't hold back the small almost hysterical chuckle that bubbled out. "That's the one."

"My grandchild will not be sporting a Mohawk," Burt teased. They both enjoyed a little laugh until Burt got serious again. "You need to tell him. Like either tonight or tomorrow. And then I'll invite his mother over and we can all sit down and talk about what's going to happen."

Kurt nodded. "I'll… I'll call him now and see if he can come over or something, if not tonight, then tomorrow."

"In the meantime, I'm going to order pizza," Burt said. "Carole should be home any minute and I don't want her thinking she has to cook just because something else came up. She works hard."

Kurt smiled. "She's great, dad. I'm glad you two are happy together. I know it couldn't have been easy trying to raise me alone."

"Being a single dad isn't the worst thing that could happen to you," Burt said quietly. "It's not easy and it's not ideal, but it's very much worth all the hard work and sacrifice. And you aren't alone, Kurt. You've got a family who loves you and who's gonna love this kid, no matter what. Right?"

"Right," Kurt said with a tearful smile.

**PKPKPKPKPK**

"What was so important that you couldn't have just told me at school today?" Puck asked once he had arrived at the Hummel-Hudson house the next evening. Kurt had let him in and led him down the hall to his bedroom, past the watchful eyes of Burt Hummel. Puck got the feeling that the man knew what was going on and if that was true then this had to be something serious.

"You should probably sit," Kurt said even as he paced back and forth. Puck shrugged and took a seat on the edge of the bed. He watched Kurt pace for a minute or two while he muttered things to himself and wrung his hands together. Then he stopped right in front of Puck. "What do you remember about the night of Rachel's party?"

"I thought we weren't going to talk about that," Puck said with a frown. "I'm pretty sure we agreed."

"We didn't agree to any such thing," Kurt said. "But at least you remember. I wouldn't be bringing it up if it wasn't important. I have Blaine now and believe me when I say I never intended to think about that night again. But I went to the doctor yesterday and…"

"Dude, I'm clean," Puck said. "I get tested like every other month and I haven't been sleeping around since the whole thing with Quinn. I'm totally clean."

Kurt sighed and sat down on the bed beside Puck. "I don't have an STD. I'm pregnant."

Puck looked at him for a full minute before he started to laugh nervously. "Right. That's a good one. You really had me thinking you were serious for a minute."

"I am serious," Kurt said. He grabbed the sonogram photos off his bedside table and handed them to Puck. "Those were taken yesterday. See the patient's name? That blob is our baby."

Puck remembered how expensive getting a sonogram was from when Quinn was pregnant. There was no way that Kurt would spend that kind of money for a joke, besides, who would he get to let him have pictures of their kid? "I don't understand."

Kurt went to his desk and grabbed his laptop. "I just found out about this yesterday, but I've been doing some research online. In the nineties, doctors discovered that some boys were being born with the ability to have kids." Kurt pulled up the websites that he had bookmarked and let Puck browse through them. "It only really started in the late 70's and very few boys are born this way, and even fewer of them are gay, so it hasn't really become common knowledge yet. In fact, most people think it's an urban legend. But that article there is from the American Journal of Medicine. It's not legend. It's fact. And I'm one of those rare individuals who can get pregnant."

Puck was quiet as he looked through the various pages Kurt had found. It was mostly medical jargon that he had no hope of understanding. What he did understand was that some boys _can actually_ _get pregnant_. You'd think they would cover this shit in sex ed class. There were pictures of men who were really pregnant and sonograms like the one Kurt had shown him. There were even pictures of the births. Puck shut the laptop and looked at Kurt.

"How do you know it's mine?" Puck asked. He wasn't accusing, but he needed to know for sure.

"Because Blaine and I still haven't had sex," Kurt said quietly. "You are the _only_ person I've done it with."

Puck frowned. "Dude, you've been dating that guy for, like, ever. You still haven't done the deed?" And then it sank in what else Kurt was saying. "You gave me your v-card? Why would you do that?"

Kurt stood up again and began fiddling with some squishy ball on his shelf. He shrugged. "I don't know. I was mad a Blaine, but… but that wasn't really the reason. I guess because you were good looking and willing and not a total prick to me anymore. I knew you were experienced, that you could probably make it good."

"Did I make it good?" Puck asked. "Parts of that night are still fuzzy. I know I had a great time, but…"

Kurt turned to look at Puck with a small smile. "Yeah, you were great. You were patient and gentle and you made sure that I was ready before you did anything. And it was something I'll never forget."

"Good," Puck said. "I'd like to think that at least this kid was made from a happy memory. I don't think Quinn ever thought of what we did with anything but regret."

"My only regret is that you were drunk," Kurt said. "I feel like I took advantage of you."

Puck laughed at that. "Dude, I'd had a few but I knew what I was doing."

"Sure you did," Kurt said. "That's why you slept with a guy."

Puck started to say something and then stopped. Finally he said, "You aren't the first guy I've had sex with. I knew what I was doing, okay? I just don't like to advertise."

It was Kurt's turn to be shocked. "Wait… what?"

Puck shrugged and fiddled with the laptop cord. "It's only happened a few times, but I'm not totally opposed to sex with guys. If you think about it, I'm the one who approached you that night."

"Right," Kurt said. He needed to sit down so he did just that. "I guess I do remember that."

They were both quiet for a few minutes. "So um… have you decided what you want to do?"

"I'm going to have the baby and I'm going to keep it," Kurt said. "You're welcome to be as much a part of the baby's life as you want."

"Oh," Puck said. A weight he hadn't know was there was lifted from his chest. "I'm glad… and thanks."

Kurt nodded. "My dad wants to have dinner with you and your mom so that we can talk this through."

Puck paled and Kurt worried that he might just pass out. "No. That's… that's not a good idea."

"Noah?"

Puck got up and headed for the door. "I have to go."

"Noah!" Kurt shouted, but it was too late. Puck was already half way down the hall and seconds later Kurt heard the front door slam. He followed at a more sedate pace to see his dad and Carole coming out of the living room to see what was going on.

"Everything okay?" Burt asked.

"It was," Kurt said with confusion. "Until I mentioned the dinner. I think he's afraid to tell his mom."

Carole huffed. "With good reason. That woman… Puck's dad left because he realized he was gay late in life and fell in love with a man he met at work. Judith Puckerman knew about the affair but let it go as long as Jacob stuck around to pay the bills. But when Jacob's partner was transferred, Jacob had to make a choice. She's never forgiven him and has blocked every attempt he has made to contact Noah or Miriam. She's become extremely bigoted against homosexuals since then. She often goes off on rants when she's been drinking, which is pretty much all the time."

Carole sighed. "Noah has never said so, but I get the feeling that she says some pretty cruel things to him too, comparing him to his father and taking her anger out on him. But then she'll turn around and do something completely inappropriate to try and make up for the abuse and neglect."

"Like washing his hair when he was sixteen," Kurt said. "I suppose that explains a lot about Noah. But what do we do?"

"We give him time to figure out how he wants to handle things," Burt said. "But I don't think he's going to have a choice about telling his mother. When there's a baby involved, it's hard to keep things quiet."

Kurt nodded and followed his dad and Carole into the living room. A little mindless television was in order to take Kurt's mind off of everything for a little while.


	2. Chapter 2

Puck drove around town for almost an hour before he turned his truck towards home. He needed time to think. He was going to be a dad. Again. Only this time no one was trying to keep him from his kid. Puck considered himself lucky; Shelby had been really great about sending him pictures and updates about Beth by email, and she promised that she would let Beth keep in contact when she got older. But they had moved to Minnesota not long after Beth was born to be closer to Shelby's family so Puck really didn't get to see or hold his little girl.

Kurt, however, was going to raise their kid and was willing to let Puck be a part of its life. Maybe they could even share custody once Puck got a job and had a way to take care of the kid. And Puck really wanted to be a good dad. He knew that his father wasn't the deadbeat that his mom made him out to be. He had found the letters and cards and stuff she had hidden away. He knew his dad wanted to see him and Miri. He also knew that his mother would totally freak out if he told her that he got a boy pregnant.

Puck wasn't sure he had much choice about telling her though. It wasn't like with Quinn where her folks threw her out and she needed a place to stay. Then again, this kid was going to be there in a few months and Puck had every intention of being a part of his kid's life. That meant that Judith Puckerman would know. It was probably better to get it over with.

Puck's mother was sitting in the living room watching some chick show with Miriam when he got home. He could tell by the level of wine left in the bottle that she was still mostly sober. Once the wine was gone, she would break out the bourbon and then all bets were off. Puck took a deep breath and went into the room.

"Ma, can I talk to you about something?" Puck asked.

"What is it Noah?" she asked with exaggerated concern. Puck mentally rolled his eyes; he hated when she pretended to care. It was worse than just flat out hating him all the time.

Puck glanced at Miriam and hesitated. Then he figured that even if she went to her room, she'd hear everything through the thin walls of their mobile home. "I got someone pregnant."

"Again?" Judith said with her more customary scorn. Now they were on familiar ground. "You are worse than your father. Two babies and you aren't even out of high school yet. So who is it this time? That Santana slut?"

Puck took a deep breath and said, "It isn't a girl. It's Kurt Hummel."

There was silence in the room except for the TV playing some sappy coffee commercial. Puck hated those commercials. His family would never be like the families they showed. His sister would never wait up for him to get home for the holidays; though he was sure she loved him, they just didn't have that kind of relationship. His dad was never going to be there to give Miri's boyfriend permission to marry her or scold anyone for staying out late. Those commercials were bullshit. Puck was glad when his mother turned off the TV. Miri, knowing this was going to get ugly, looked like she wanted to hide.

"Miri, why don't you go get ready for bed?" Puck suggested and she gave him a grateful look before hugging their mom.

When she turned to leave, she gave Puck a big hug and whispered. "I love you no matter what happens. Don't forget that."

"I won't," Puck said and had to bite his cheek to keep from tearing up.

There was silence in the room for more than two minutes. Puck watched the clock on the DVD player. "How the hell did this happen?"

Puck shrugged. "Kurt said that some boys are born with the ability to get pregnant. They discovered the change sometime in the nineties."

"I was there," Judith practically seethed. "I remember the stories. That's not what I meant and you know it."

Puck did know it, but he hadn't wanted to answer her. "We were at a party and it just happened."

"Was this the first time?" Judith demanded.

Puck knew that lying to her was pointless. He was screwed either way. "It was the first time with him, but not the first time with a boy."

"How many?"

"Four," Puck said. "Never more than once and never with anyone from around here."

"Until now," Judith hissed. "Now, your shameful behavior is not only going to become common knowledge at the synagogue, you're bringing an abomination into the world!"

"My kid is not an abomination!" Puck yelled, unable to hold his tongue when it came to his kid. He'd take all the shit she could dish out, but he wouldn't put up with her ragging on his kid. "You're the fucking abomination."

"Watch your tone," Judith said with deadly calm. "I should have known you would take after your father in this. You're just like him in every other way. I should have gotten rid of you and him both before you were born. You are nothing to me. Nothing, you hear me? And if you think anyone else is going to want a worthless fag who can't keep his dick in his pants, you'll find out soon enough how wrong you are."

"You are so full of shit," Puck said coldly, though inside he felt the sting of her words sharply. "You want to pretend that you're the mother of the year to the neighbors, but as soon as we're behind closed doors, you're a drunken mess. You treat me and Miri like crap most of the time. You lie to us constantly about Dad. You think we don't know that you've been hiding his cards and letters for years? You're a hypocrite. You talk about how anti-Semitism and racism is wrong and make us watch movies about the holocaust, but you conveniently forget that the gays were right beside our people in those camps. You're just a dried up bitter old hag who can't let anyone be happy if she isn't."

"Get out," Judith said. "Get out you worthless piece of shit! Get out before I call the cops and have you thrown back into juvie where you belong!"

She didn't wait for him to move. Instead, she began picking up anything in reach and throwing it at him. Puck turned and left the room. He ignored her continued slurs and threats. He ignored the sound of shattering glass. He just went to his room and packed up as much of his stuff as he could fit into the garbage bags he had grabbed from the hall closet on the way. It didn't take long to pack his shit since he didn't have much. When that was done, he stopped in Miri's room to say goodbye.

"You have my number," Puck said as he hugged his sister tightly. She was only 11 but sometimes he thought she was older than him. Now wasn't one of those times; she looked like a lost little girl and it was breaking his heart to have to leave her behind. "She does anything to hurt you, you call me and I'll get you the hell out of here. I mean it. Don't let her be a bitch to you all the time. Don't _ever_ let her hit you, 'cause once she starts she won't stop. And I want you to call me at least every other day. I need to know you're okay."

Miriam stepped back and nodded tearfully. "Where will you go?"

Puck shrugged. "Finn and Kurt's for now I guess. If nothing else, Carole will take me in."

"Just be careful, okay?" Miri said.

"You too," Puck told her and then kissed the top of her head. "I gotta go before she works up the nerve to come after me with something more dangerous than those tacky knickknacks she likes so much."

"I think she only buys them to have something to throw at you," Miri teased.

The siblings shared a laugh and hugged one more time before Puck grabbed his bags and headed out.

**PKPKPKPKPK**

Puck sat in his truck outside the Hudson-Hummel house for five minutes before he got the courage to go up to the front door. He knew that Carole understood and would want him to stay, but he didn't really know how Burt Hummel or Kurt would feel about the whole thing. Well, if worse came to worst, he could drop out of school and get a job at the Ford plant or the tank factory. Then he could afford an apartment.

Puck knocked and it took a minute, but eventually, the door swung open. He was glad that it was Carole standing there. "Noah?"

"I told her," Puck said. He cursed himself when he felt his eyes well up with tears. "I told her and she… she kicked me out. She hates me…" He was overcome by the tears he had refused to allow to fall in front of his mother or sister.

Carole pulled him into the house and into her arms. "Hush sweetie, we'll work it out." She continued to whisper comforting things to him as she held him and he cried for a lifetime of hurtful words and emotional neglect. He cried out his fears of an uncertain future. He cried for the daughter who would never be his and the new baby who would. And eventually he had no more tears left to cry.

He never noticed Kurt come and hand Carole tissues. He never noticed him and Finn heading down the hall to their rooms to be out of the way. But when he did come back to himself, Puck let Carole dry his tears and lead him into the living room where Burt was sitting and waiting for them. Carole spared Puck the pain of having to explain things and he was grateful. Her shortened version of the situation was easier to swallow than the version that was playing through his head on a loop.

"Well, we were going to finish the basement soon anyway," Burt said. "Until we can get that done, Noah, you'll stay in the guest room. Just…" Burt shook his head. "I suppose it's a little late to warn you away from my son. Just remember that we have rules in this house and try to live by them and we'll get along fine."

"We'll talk more about house rules and everything tomorrow," Carole said. "In the meantime, why don't you get your things and we can get you settled."

"Thanks," Puck said with a grateful smile. "I… Thanks."

"You're welcome," Burt said gruffly.

**PKPKPKPKPK**

Despite the late hour, there was a knock at his door while Puck unpacked his trash bags. Puck opened the door and was unsurprised to see Kurt standing there.

"Can I come in?" Kurt asked.

Puck shrugged and went back to work. "Sure. What's up?"

"I just wanted to say… I'm sorry," Kurt said. "About your mom."

"Not your fault she's a bitch," Puck muttered.

Kurt was quiet for a minute or two, but then he teased, "Nice luggage."

"Shut up," Puck muttered, but there was a small grin on his face. "You're just jealous you don't have anything this classy."

"I'm dying of envy," Kurt said with a straight face before both boys began to laugh.

Puck stopped after a minute and looked at Kurt. "Are you okay with me being here?"

"You wanna be part of this baby's life don't you?" Kurt asked and Puck nodded. "Well, what better place for that than right down the hall. You can help with the 3 am feedings."

"Your dad said something about finishing the basement?" Puck said.

"Oh," Kurt said with a frown. He picked up a t-shirt and began folding it properly. "Well, I'm going to have to talk with him. If he's doing that, I want dibs. This house is big enough that I could have a whole apartment down there for me and the baby."

Puck chuckled. "You're so spoiled."

"I know," Kurt admitted easily. He was refolding everything that Puck pulled from the bags now.

"Have you… have you told anyone else yet?" Puck asked as he put the clothes Kurt had folded into the dresser drawer.

Kurt shook his head. "Only my dad and Carole know, though Finn's been asking questions. I thought you might prefer telling him. Or we can do it together."

"I was thinking more along the lines of Blaine," Puck said.

"Oh." Kurt continued to fold clothes in silence for a minute. "I'm not really sure how to tell him. I mean, it's not like I cheated on him, and yet I feel really guilty."

Puck didn't want to say so, but he was sure that having him live there, the guy who got Kurt pregnant, wasn't going to help matters. He'd feel bad except he had nowhere else to go, and he really wanted to be there with Kurt and his kid.

"I was thinking about names," Puck said, ready to change the subject. "What about Bartholomew if it's a boy?"

Kurt snorted. "Not on your life. It's not bad enough that my father and I have rhyming names. Now you want to add Bart to the Burt and Kurt nightmare?"

"Never thought of that," Puck conceded. "You don't mind using a Jewish name?"

"I don't mind," Kurt said. "It's not like I'm big on some religion or ethnicity. As long as I like the name, and it isn't a derivative of an alcoholic beverage, I don't' care if it's Jewish or Japanese. So if you want Jewish, we'll look for something Jewish."

"Cool," Noah said. "And I promise, no Jackie Daniels this time around. Quinn beat that idea out of my head."

Kurt chuckled. "The doctor said my mood swings are going to be worse than a woman's because I don't normally have the hormonal fluctuations that women do. So I'd be careful what you say to me for the next few months."

"I'll keep that in mind," Puck chuckled. He put the last of his clothes away and sat on the bed. "Anything cool happen with the peach yet?"

"Peach?" Kurt asked with a cocked brow. He sat primly on the edge of the bed.

Puck shrugged. "That's how big the books say he or she is about now. I remember from when Quinn was pregnant."

Kurt thought about that. "I guess that could be true. I kind of thought that the blob in the sonogram looked a little like a big peanut but I never thought about how big it was."

Puck laughed at that. He sobered as a thought occurred to him. "I'd like to go with you to any appointments. Is that okay?"

Kurt nodded. "Yeah, that would be good."

"But you're healthy and everything so far?"

"I'm fine," Kurt said. "My doctor took me over to meet Dr. Feinstein, who will be my obstetrician. They both said I'm gaining weight right on schedule. I'm healthy and the baby's heart is perfect. There's nothing to worry about. I'll just need to be careful later on in the pregnancy. Guys aren't really built for carrying babies. Our center of gravity is higher than a girl's and it's easier for us to lose balance when we get big. But other than that, they said that everything else should be pretty similar to a woman's pregnancy."

"Cool," Puck said. "I'm gonna… I'm gonna be there. I mean, I wanna help you through all this. It's my kid too and I wanna help as much as I can, now and later."

"I'm sure I'll be taking you up on that," Kurt said wryly. "But right now, there isn't much you can do."

"Yeah right," Puck nodded. "Well, just ask when you do need something."

Kurt seemed to remember something. "I wanted to ask you about school."

"What about it?" Puck asked.

Kurt took a deep breath. "Well, it's not going to take long for people to find out that I'm pregnant. I mean, we could probably keep it quiet until the end of school next week, but I'm going to be as big as a house when we go back in September."

"I get it," Puck sighed. "I guess we can tell the club. It'll get out to the rest of the school, but at least we'll have a couple months for people to get used to the idea before we have to face them every day."

"At least Azimio and Karofsky are graduating," Kurt said with a sigh. "Although Karofsky's not a problem anymore."

"Maybe he'll get the balls to come out at college," Puck said. "Though I'm not much better. I wouldn't be out at all if this hadn't happened."

"You had reason to hide," Kurt said quietly.

"Yeah," Puck agreed sadly.


	3. Chapter 3

Kurt brought printouts from the various websites that he had searched as well as the sonogram. If they were going to tell people, they were going to need proof. Most people still had no idea that some men could have kids. Kurt could hardly believe it himself and he'd been there and heard the baby's heartbeat.

"What's going on?" Mercedes asked as they walked towards the choir room. Though glee was officially over for the year after their Nationals loss, they still met up a couple times a week to sing and hang out.

Kurt knew he should tell her first and so he pulled her into the girls' room. He checked to make sure they were alone and then handed her the sonogram.

"Why does this say Hummel?" Mercedes asked. "Is Finn's mom preggers?"

"Ew, no," Kurt said with a cringe. "I am." He didn't give her a chance to comment before he went through the whole story, including showing her the printouts. The only thing he left out was Puck moving in to their house. That was his story to tell.

Mercedes looked completely floored. "Baby boy, if this is some sort of elaborate joke…"

"It's not," Kurt said. "Remember when I threw up just from the smell of that man's awful cologne in New York? That was morning sickness. Only I've been pretty lucky and it's only triggered by certain smells."

Mercedes shook her head and hugged Kurt. "It's like something out of some fantasy novel or something. But you know I got your back, right?"

"Thanks, 'Cedes," Kurt said with a smile. "Now we should get going before Puck thinks I left him to explain alone."

They had told Finn over breakfast, and only Carole and Burt's insistence that it was true finally convinced him that they weren't just making the whole thing up. Kurt had a feeling that it was going to be harder to convince some of their peers. But at least they had Mercedes and Finn on their side.

"There you are," Puck said as soon as they walked into the room. They were the last to arrive and everyone was watching the interplay between Puck and Kurt. "I told them we had something to tell them, but then you didn't show."

"Sorry," Kurt whispered as Mercedes took her seat, leaving them up front. "I needed to tell Mercedes first."

Puck nodded. "Yeah okay, but can we get on with this now?"

"Kurt, Puck?" Mr. Schue said. "If you need the floor, you've got it. But we can't wait around all afternoon."

"Sorry," Kurt said. "We're ready."

"So what is this big announcement?" Sam asked.

Puck and Kurt shared a look, but Puck was the one who spoke up. "Yeah, so, Kurt's been feeling a little sick lately and he went to the doctor after school the other day. And the doctor told him that he's pregnant."

There was silence for a minute and then the snickers began. They got louder until the whole room was laughing.

"Nice one Puck," Mike said.

"It would be if it was a joke," Puck muttered.

Kurt looked at him with a small reassuring smile that he didn't entirely feel. "We knew it wasn't going to be easy."

Mr. Schuester called the rest of the group to order. "Guys, I don't think this is a joke. Back about fifteen years ago, there was a big thing about this all over the national news."

"I have printouts of the research I've done since then," Kurt told them. "In case you still don't believe. And I have the sonogram my doctor did."

"I've heard of this," Rachel piped up. "My dads told me they both got tested, just in case, but the doctors and scientists never found any men born before 1978 who can carry a child."

There was silence as everyone absorbed this information. And then Santana asked the million dollar question. "So why's Puck up there with you Hummel?"

"Because I'm the dad," Puck said before he could chicken out.

"Not again," they heard someone mutter, but it wasn't clear who.

"You aren't even gay," Santana said.

"He's little-g-gay," Brittany said. "A shark who likes dolphins; isn't that right?"

"That's right," Puck said and gave her his best smile. "And before anyone can get all offended on Anderson's behalf, it happened the night he was playing tonsil hockey with Berry."

"I haven't told Blaine yet," Kurt said. "I wanted to wait until we could talk face to face this weekend. So I would appreciate if you guys could keep this to yourselves until at least next week?"

"How far along are you?" Quinn asked.

"16 weeks," Kurt said. "My due date is November 29, so I probably won't be able to perform at sectionals."

"We can worry about that this fall," Mr. Schue said. "I assume you told your parents?"

"They know," Kurt said enigmatically.

"Shit, Puck," Santana said, immediately understanding the unspoken issue. "She threw you out, didn't she? Where're you staying?"

"With Kurt and Finn," Puck told her. It would figure she knew enough about his family to guess the fallout.

"Wait," Artie said. "Your mom threw you out?"

"Mrs. Puckerman's not very tolerant of gay people," Finn explained.

"She's psycho," Quinn corrected. "When I was living there, I just mentioned something about that show _Will and Grace_ and she flipped out on me. Don't even think of trying to watch Ellen."

"This is better, anyway," Puck said with an air of negligence, though Kurt knew he was more hurt than he let on. "At least I'll be around for everything. I'll get to be with my kid all the time."

Quinn looked a little guilty then, but Puck ignored her. He didn't want to go there right now. He was pretty sure they'd have to talk about it eventually, but not right then.

"Any more questions?" Kurt asked.

**PKPKPKPKPK**

The rest of the practice ended up being a bust. Everyone was more concerned with Babygate II than they were with singing. Even Mr. Schue was more interested in learning about how Kurt felt about being pregnant and what it felt like as a male. They went home that afternoon tired from the stressful day, but happy to know that their friends supported them.

It was a Friday and Blaine would be coming the next morning, which meant that Kurt's stress wasn't over yet. He knew that his friends would keep things quiet, for now, but he also knew that he had to tell Blaine this weekend. Besides, when Blaine showed up and found Puck living with them, an explanation would be unavoidable.

This was why Kurt was up early on Saturday morning making all of Blaine's favorite foods for brunch and bitching at anyone who dared to touch his creations—or even entered the kitchen for that matter.

"Why can't I have any waffles?" Puck whined from the doorway. "I won't touch anything else, just let me put some waffles in the toaster and I'll be out of your way in two minutes, I promise."

"I swear to Gaga, if you mess up my quiche or even look twice at Blaine's maple walnut crumb cake, you won't ever have to worry about getting anyone else pregnant because I will castrate you with a plastic spork."

Puck's eyes were wide as he very carefully snuck around Kurt to get to the waffles out of the freezer. He refused to turn his back on the pregnant diva the whole time he waited for the waffles to pop up and then he carefully poured syrup over his breakfast and headed out of the kitchen and away from the very scary pregnant boy in the apron.

Kurt huffed in annoyance but was soon laughing at the absurdity of the whole situation. When Carole heard him laughing, she ventured into the kitchen. "Feeling a little better are we?"

"These damned hormones," Kurt sighed, but he was still smiling. He stirred the mixed berry compote he was making to be served over the crepes he would make later.

"You scared Finn and your father into going to the Waffle House out by the highway for breakfast," Carole said. "I think they're planning to hang out at the batting cages for a while to stay out of your way. Noah was the only one brave enough to venture in after your tirade against you father for getting coffee."

"I'm just so nervous about telling Blaine," Kurt admitted. "And the hormones don't help. I mean, I know I can be a bit of a brat at times, but even I know that this is ridiculous."

"When I was pregnant with Finn I would go from screaming bloody murder at his father to trying to jump his bones to sobbing on his shoulder in a five minute span," Carole said. "You'll survive and so will the rest of us. Have you felt the baby move yet?"

"Not yet," Kurt said. "I was reading that book you gave me and it said anytime between 16 and 22 weeks. It is kind of exciting to think of all the little milestones that this baby is going to go through. And scary too."

"Kids are scary," Carole said. "And not just for the first couple years. You and Finn scare the life out of me and your father sometimes. You probably still will when you're in your fifties with grandkids of your own."

"I've not even had this one yet," Kurt chuckled s he took the fruit compote off the burner to cool for a bit. "Let's not rush things with talk of grandkids."

"Good lord," Carole said as she sat down heavily on a kitchen chair. "I'm going to be a grandma."

"Yeah, you are," Kurt said with a grin. "Just hit you, huh?"

Carole snapped out of her daze and flushed a little with embarrassment. "Oh hush, you. Now, what can I do to help?"

Kurt came over and hugged Carole. "You're a wonderful mom and you're going to be a marvelous grandmother." The stayed like that for a long minute before Kurt pulled away and nodded once. "Now, if you're serious about helping, I've yet to make the fruit salad and could use a hand washing and cutting up the fruit."

"You've got it," Carole said.

**PKPKPKPKPK**

"Kurt, sweetie, you didn't have to do all of this for me," Blaine said when he saw the spread on the dining room table. They had the house to themselves for a little while since Finn and Burt were still out having breakfast and Carole had taken Puck out to buy him some clothes that were in better shape than the ones he came to them with—something Kurt supported wholeheartedly.

"I wanted to," Kurt said with a nervous smile. "Let's eat before it gets cold."

They made idle chit chat while they ate, or rather Blaine chatted about what everyone at Dalton was doing for the summer while Kurt picked at his food and pretended to listen.

"Kurt, you haven't heard a word I've said," Blaine said with exasperation as he was finishing up the food on his plate. "And you haven't eaten a bite of this great food. What's going on? Is this about me leaving for Six Flags this week? Because I'll be home a few times and we can get together. And if you wanted to come visit, Geauga Lake isn't that far away."

"It's not that. I… I need to tell you something," Kurt said as he played with his napkin. "And it's going to be really… shocking. And I'm not really sure how to say this."

"Just tell me," Blaine said. "You know I'm not going to be upset, whatever it is. It can't be that bad."

Kurt chuffed a dry laugh. "Right." He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Okay, have you ever read anything about boys who can get pregnant? They discovered this rare genetic variation in the 1990's and it was quite big news for a while."

"Yeah, I've read about it," Blaine said. "It's pretty common knowledge in the gay community. A lot of gay men get tested because they would like to be able to carry a child. Wait; is that what this is about? You're one of those rare men? That's great, Kurt! That's nothing to be ashamed of."

"I can get pregnant," Kurt confirmed with a slow nod. He grabbed Blaine's hands and looked into his eyes. "Blaine, I _**am**_ pregnant."

Blaine sat back in his chair and Kurt let his hands fall away. "But… we've never…"

"It was before we got together," Kurt said. "It was the night you kissed Rachel. I was hurt and angry, and… and that's not really an excuse. It was my choice to do what I did."

"Who?" Blaine asked on a whisper.

"Noah," Kurt said. "Puck."

"You slept with Puck," Blaine said with quiet agitation. He stood up to pace. "I… I know we weren't together then, but somehow… I thought we'd be each other's first. And now… not only have you given him… but now you're going to be tied to him for the rest of your life."

Kurt noted that Blaine never once questioned whether he was keeping the baby. "I'm sorry." He sat and stared at his hands while Blaine continued to pace for what seemed like forever. Kurt knew that the other boy needed time to process everything, but it was nerve wracking waiting for his verdict.

"What else?" Blaine asked suddenly. "Is there anything else I need to know?"

Kurt swallowed hard. He was sure this was going to be the hardest part for Blaine to accept. "When Noah told his mom, she totally freaked out on him and threw him out. He didn't have anywhere else to go and… He's living here now."

Blaine stared at Kurt for a long minute. "I… I think I need to go."

"Blaine, please," Kurt said with tears in his eyes. "Just talk to me. I know you're upset, but I'd rather know what you're feeling and talk through it than have you just storm out. Please."

"Talk about it," Blaine said. "I don't know if I can. I thought… Fuck, Kurt! This isn't just some slip up! This changes everything!"

"I know," Kurt said softly. "But it doesn't have to change us."

Blaine sighed and sat back down beside Kurt. He took the smaller boy's hands in his. "Yes it does. It has to change us. Think about it Kurt. I love you, you know I do, but I'm not sure I'm ready to become a dad to someone else's kid. And even if I was, where does Puck fit into all of this? Do you really think you're going to spend the next few months with him, living together and bonding over this baby, without your feelings for him changing?"

"I'd never cheat on you," Kurt said, but he couldn't deny what Blaine was saying totally. Kurt believed in family more than anything. It was why he had never once questioned whether or not he would keep this baby. It was also why his dad and Carole and Mercedes and Blaine—anyone who really knew him—never once questioned whether or not he would keep this baby. And he would do everything he could to provide his child with everything he or she could ever want or need. If that included the baby's biological father, then Puck would certainly be around. What he would be around as was the real question, one to which Kurt didn't have an answer. "I love you."

"I know," Blaine sighed. "But do you love me enough to choose me over your child's best interests?" Blaine kissed Kurt gently. "I can't be anyone's dad, Kurt. I have dreams, dreams I thought we shared."

"We do," Kurt said sadly. "I still want those things. I want New York and Broadway and…"

"But you'll give them up for your child," Blaine said. "And that's the right thing for you. But it's not the right thing for me. I… I'll be here for you, you are the best friend I've ever had, but I can't… I can't take on that kind of responsibility. Not now. Not yet."

Kurt nodded and wiped his eyes with the napkin. "I understand." He got up and began clearing the table.

"Kurt… Don't just walk away. You wanted to talk, so talk." Blaine was looking at him with pleading eyes and Kurt felt like he had no choice but to respond, even though he really didn't want to say anything. He paused and sat the plates down and he looked directly at his boyfriend… ex-boyfriend.

"I understand, Blaine." Kurt's tone was filled with hurt and anger. "I understand that we have different priorities now. I also understand that as soon as the first bump in the road comes along, you decide to bail."

"That's not fair," Blaine said. "This is not just some small dip in the road. This is a baby, Kurt. You're pregnant with another person's child while we're still in high school. That's a pretty serious pothole—big enough to lose a car in!"

"You're right," Kurt said. "It's pretty fucking huge. I know, because I'm standing right in the middle of it. Until two days ago I didn't even know that it was possible for a man to get pregnant, let alone that I was one of those guys. But then I found out and maybe I was being naïve but I thought that I could count on the people who loved me to stick by me. My dad and Carole have been great. Puck gave up his fucking home and family to be here and support me and this baby. But my boyfriend is too much of a coward to face a little inconvenience in his life."

"Inconvenience?" Blaine was aghast. "This is a lot more than an inconvenience."

"Have I asked you for anything?" Kurt asked. "Did I say, please, Blaine, be my baby's daddy? No! My baby has a daddy. He's got two fucking daddies. I haven't asked you for anything but to love me and to be there. But if that's too much for you, I'm glad I found that out now, rather than later."

"Kurt…"

"What if it had been yours?" Kurt asked. "What if I had waited and we had sex and I got pregnant? What would you have done then?"

Blaine was quiet as he said, "I would have stood by you."

"For the sake of the child," Kurt said with a resigned nod. "Because if it had been for me, it wouldn't matter whose kid it was."

There was no denying the truth of that statement and they were both silent until they heard the front door open and the loud clomping footsteps that indicated that Finn was home.

"I think you should go," Kurt finally said.

Blaine nodded reluctantly. "Yeah, I guess I should. I… Can we… at least try to be friends?"

"I don't know," Kurt said. "Maybe when I'm not quite so emotional I'll find a way to get past this. Right now, I just don't know if I can be friends with you."

Blaine nodded once more and then turned to leave. Kurt watched him leave and then collapsed into his chair. He pushed the plates away and buried his head in his arms to cry.


	4. Chapter 4

"So you dumped the hobbit?" Puck asked. Kurt had been hiding in his room all afternoon and everyone had respected his desire for privacy up until now, but Puck didn't seem to understand the concept of boundaries. He had just charged right in without so much as a knock and flopped down on the bed beside Kurt. "He's kind of a douche, you know."

"Fuck off, Puck," Kurt growled as he sat up to look down at Puck.

"I know he seemed like the perfect guy, but he was kind of self-absorbed, wasn't he?" Puck continued undeterred. "I mean, he took all the solos in that gay boys choir you were in, he totally kissed some girl when you were obviously hot for him. And Finn told me that he didn't want to go to the prom with you."

"But he did go to the prom with me," Kurt pointed out, unsure why he was defending the boy who had just broken his heart. "And he did share the spotlight in the Warblers after I pointed out to him that he was wrong. And he… well, he finally figured out that he liked me."

Kurt sighed and fell back against the pillows on his bed. He stared at the ceiling in silence for a moment. "It's funny; I was nervous about hurting him, but I still expected that he would be there for me, willing to do what it took to make things work, being the same supportive boy he's always been. Instead, he ran away and I'm the one hurt. He said he's not ready to be anyone's daddy and I can understand that. Hell, I'm not sure I'm ready to become a parent, but I don't have much choice in the matter. I just… I thought I meant more to him than this. I thought I was worth the effort."

"You are such an awesome dude," Puck said as rolled to face Kurt, his head resting on his bent arm. He brushed away a stray tear from Kurt's cheek. "He should know that you are worth more than anything. You're worth more than anyone I have ever met. I knew that the minute I met you."

"And then you tossed me into a dumpster," Kurt said sardonically.

"Yeah," Puck admitted with a grin. "It was fun. But I never would have done that if I wasn't…" Puck stopped and shook his head. He stood up and tossed a bag at Kurt. "Carole and I picked up your vitamins while we were out."

"What were you going to say?" Kurt asked before Puck could bolt from the room.

Puck paused by the door but didn't turn to face Kurt. "I never would have tormented you if I hadn't wanted you so bad. I knew what my mom would do if I ever… so I did the only thing I could do to be near you. And then, glee gave me another way to be near you, and I didn't need the dumpster anymore."

Puck didn't say any more and he didn't wait for Kurt to respond. He left and closed the door behind him.

**PKPKPKPKPK**

The end of school came and went and Kurt walked through it all in a fog, making Burt Hummel worry about his son in a way he hadn't since his mother died; he was still reeling from the pregnancy and then the breakup. Despite that, Kurt went to work at the shop every day with his dad and worked on cars. Burt could certainly understand the appeal of the garage; cars were simple when life was hard.

Puck was working at the garage now, too. He wanted to make some money to help out around the house, but Burt refused to take money from him. He let Puck come work at the shop with him and Kurt. It kept Puck out of trouble and away from his questionable pool cleaning business. And Burt paid Puck the same as he paid Kurt. It allowed the boys to begin setting aside some money for the things the baby would need when he or she came.

Burt was impressed with the effort that Puck put into his work and offered to teach him some of the more complicated repairs. In the past, he had always gotten the impression that Puck was a lazy troublemaker. Now he realized that he was just a lost kid who needed someone to care about him enough to set some boundaries and still care about him when he crossed those boundaries.

Puck's first test of his new limits came the very first week he moved into the Hummel-Hudson house. There was a set curfew for all three boys: Midnight on weekends and 10 pm on weeknights, and only if Carole or Burt gave prior permission. Puck stayed out until 2 am on a school night without calling or even texting. Burt was waiting up when Puck came in and they sat down for a little chat.

When it was over, Burt had grounded Puck from the use of his truck for a week (a punishment that was easily enforced with the judicious removal of several crucial wires) and Puck knew that he wasn't going to be kicked out for being an ass. And while Burt was quick to deal with Puck's misdeeds, he and Carole both were even faster to praise him for the things he did right both at work and at home. Positive reinforcement went a long way for a kid like Puck who had only ever gotten attention from his mother or teachers for acting out.

As a result of all this attention and concern, Puck was starting to blossom. He was working harder and helping around the house. He had only missed curfew one other time since getting his truck back, and then only by 5 minutes. He lost TV and computer privileges for a day for that one. Burt wouldn't be surprised to find Puck's grades improving once school started back, even with the pressures of impending fatherhood.

All that was to say that Burt wasn't particularly worried about Puck these days, but he was very worried about Kurt. It had been four weeks since they found out about the baby, four weeks since he had broken up with Blaine and Kurt was still walking around in a funk. It wasn't good for him and it wasn't good for the baby. Puck, bless him, tried to get Kurt to cheer up. He acted the clown around Kurt, trying to coax a smile or a laugh out of him, but even when it worked, Kurt usually went right back to brooding. Puck had recently told Burt that the doctor had taken him aside and told him that Kurt's depression wasn't good for him or the baby at his appointment earlier that week.

Well, Burt had had just about enough of that. After work that day, Burt sent Puck home and took Kurt with him. Kurt didn't even bother to ask where they were going. When they arrived at the cemetery, however, Kurt sat up and frowned. "Why are we here?"

Burt didn't answer; he just parked the car and got out. The trip to Elizabeth Hummel's grave was familiar to both father and son and soon they were both standing beside the grave. Burt bent down to brush a few blades of grass from the base and paused to trace the letters of his wife's name.

"Why are we here?' Kurt asked again, though his voice was hushed now.

"When your mother died, I thought my whole world had ended," Burt said as he stood back up. "She meant everything to me. And she was so much better at being a parent than I was. My family wasn't the most affectionate and my father wasn't exactly a great example of what a father should be. Your mom was supposed to be the one to show me how to be a good parent. She was supposed to be the one who dried your tears and made sure you ate the right things. She was supposed to be the one who helped you figure out life and deal with hurt feelings. And I was supposed to teach you about cars and football.

"But then she was gone," Burt said and his voice still contained all the grief of that loss even after all the years. "For a while, I wished that I had died with her. Not because I didn't want you. I just… I was grieving. And that was okay for a while, but eventually, I had to realize that you needed me. I pulled my act together and got on with life. Not because I wasn't still grieving. Not because I didn't love your mom any more or because I missed her any less. I got on with life because you needed me to get on with life."

Kurt nodded and Burt could see that there were tears running down his cheeks. Burt pulled his boy into his arms. "I know you're hurting right now, kiddo. I know you expected life to be different. I know that this isn't just about Blaine, either. You're grieving for a lost relationship, but you're also grieving for lost dreams. But I gotta tell you, sometimes, when dreams change, they're even better than the ones we started out with. And right now, you aren't doing anyone any good. You and this baby both need you to be happier than you have been."

"I'm sorry," Kurt cried into Burt's shoulder.

"Don't be sorry," Burt said quietly. "Just… find a new dream. Find a way to get past this, because your kid needs you." Burt was quiet for a moment before he added, "And I think you're worrying Puck."

Kurt chuckled and wiped at his tears as he pulled away. "Just Puck?"

"Maybe Carole, too," Burt said with a sly smile.

"Can't have that," Kurt said with a chuckle. They walked back to the car together. "Hey dad?"

"Yeah, kiddo?"

"Maybe we could go for ice cream at that dairy mom liked so much before we head home?" Kurt asked.

Burt felt his heart lift and he slung an arm around Kurt's shoulder. "It'll ruin our appetites for dinner, but… what the heck. I could go for one of their banana splits."

**PKPKPKPKPK**

It was the day after his trip to the cemetery with his dad that Kurt realized that he had been feeling the baby move for a while but never realized what it was he was feeling. It felt like… he had gas or something. But that day, that fluttery feeling was followed by a swift kick to the kidney and Kurt knew that it wasn't gas as he raced for the toilet.

Puck was waiting for Kurt when he came back out. "You okay?"

"Your kid is playing kick ball with my kidney, but otherwise I'm fine," Kurt said.

"You can feel him?" Puck asked with excitement. He held his hand out but didn't touch Kurt. "Can I?"

"I don't know if you'll be able to feel yet, but we can try," Kurt shrugged. He placed Puck's hand where he had most recently felt the baby moving around. And then he kicked again, thankfully missing Kurt's kidney this time.

"Oh my god," Puck said. "He's really in there."

Kurt rolled his eyes. "You were at the last doctor's appointment. You saw the sonogram. And he could be a she."

"I know," Puck said. "And I know I saw the sonogram, but I couldn't feel him. Now I can feel him moving under my hand and it's like it's that much more real."

Kurt thought about saying something sarcastic and mean, but instead he was honest. "I know. I'd been feeling little flutters for about a week now, but I didn't realize what they were. But when she kicked me… It was like the blob on the sonogram became a real living person."

They both seemed to realize how close they were standing and that Puck's hand was still on Kurt's lower belly at the same time. Puck stepped back and Kurt blushed. They had never talked about Puck's confession, but it was always there between them.

"I should probably go," Kurt said. "I told my dad that I'd go with him to the contractor's to show him my ideas for the basement."

Puck chuckled at that. It wasn't a surprise that Kurt was going to get his way and take over the basement. The kid was spoiled beyond belief, and yet it wasn't in an obnoxious way, like some people he had met. Kurt appreciated everything he got and didn't just assume he would get his way, even if everyone else did. And he was right about the basement of this house being big enough for an apartment. The house wasn't huge, but it was a ranch and sprawled over a wide area.

"You figure out a way to make room for you and the baby?" Puck asked.

"Two bedrooms, a walk in closet for me, a full bathroom and a sitting room with a small kitchenette so it can be a real apartment," Kurt said. "Plus, we're going to expand the doorway and put in French doors for access to the backyard and deck. And we'll still have a storage and utility room back to the left of the stairs that can be accessed without entering the apartment."

Puck could sort of picture how it would fit. It was a good thing that the house was built on a slope and part of the basement was at ground level. It would be better for the baby to live where there could be sunlight. That basement was obviously designed to be finished even though it never had been.

"That's cool," Puck said.

Kurt shrugged. "Well, I figure me and junior here will probably be living here for a while. I mean, I'm still going to college, but I won't be able to take care of him and go to school without help. So, I'll apply to Ohio State in Lima and commute to school."

"You know I'm gonna be around to help too, right?" Puck said with a frown.

"I know," Kurt smiled. "But you'll need to go to school too."

"School?" Puck asked. "I just thought I'd get a job at the plant."

"And be stuck in Lima for the rest of your life?" Kurt asked with a gentle frown. "I won't let you do that. And I'm not planning on staying here forever either. We'll get out of this dead end town, all three of us, and to do that, we both need degrees so we can get good jobs. So you need to work your ass off and get your grades up enough to get into college. If you need help to do that, let me know."

Puck watched Kurt wander off to find his dad. He wondered if Kurt realized that he was making plans for the three of them like they were a family.


	5. Chapter 5

Kurt rolled out from under the car he was fixing and slowly got to his feet. His back was absolutely killing him, not to mention the muscle cramps and swollen feet. He knew that things could be worse, but on days like that one, he really wished that he could just sit around all day with his feet up. He wiped his brow with a clean rag and sighed. The August heat seeped through the garage, despite the air conditioning and Kurt was ready to be someplace without huge bay doors to let out the cool air.

"You ready to go?" Puck asked.

They were going to Kurt's 24th week doctor's appointment. The last time, at 20 weeks, the baby hadn't cooperated so they hadn't been able to find out the sex. But they were hopeful that junior would cooperate this time around. Puck had been almost unbearable all day, he was so excited. Kurt rolled his eyes at the other boy and rubbed at a particularly bad knot in his back. Without a word, Puck was there, pushing his hands away so that he could do it for him.

"Here?" Puck asked.

"Ohhh, yeah," Kurt groaned. "Right there... That's it... A little harder... God, yeah."

Burt walked past them right then and cringed. "I don't mind the back rubs so much, but keep the comments and noises PG, Kurt."

Both Kurt and Puck dissolved into laughter, along with a couple of the mechanics. "We should get going," Kurt said. "I'll just wash up and meet you at the Navigator?"

"You got it," Puck said. He watched Kurt walk away. He was so intent on the way Kurt's normal stride had taken on an exaggerated sway since getting pregnant that he never noticed Burt come back.

"You're in love with him," Burt said quietly, practically scaring the life out of Puck.

"I…"

Burt chuckled. "Don't worry. I'm not going to say anything. I'll let you two work yourselves out. But I think you should know that he could do a lot worse than a boy like you Noah. I know you don't think much of yourself sometimes because you've made some mistakes and because of some of the stuff your mom has said to you, but you are a good kid. I see the way you take care of him, even when he doesn't realize that's what you're doing. He would be lucky to have a man like you in his life. And that's all I have to say on the subject."

Puck was in total shock. Not only had Burt Hummel just called him on his feelings for Kurt, but he had told him he approved of the match… if it ever got that far. "I… thanks."

"Go on," Burt urged. "Find out if I'm having a grandson or granddaughter. Carole's been dying to buy clothes for the baby, but I told her not until we know if it's a boy or girl."

Puck smiled. "I'd kinda like to know myself. We're stopping at the mall afterward to get Kurt some clothes. He's finally given up the fight with his designer duds."

"Good lord," Burt groaned. "My son is going to be wearing maternity clothes. There isn't much girlier fashion out there."

Puck chuckled. "I'll try to rein him in."

"I thought you were going to meet me at the car?" Kurt scolded as he found Puck still talking to his dad. "I was hoping you'd have it cooled off for me by now. Hurry up or we're going to be late!" Puck didn't bother to argue; he just meekly followed Kurt out of the garage and climbed into the passenger seat.

**PKPKPKPKKPK**

"Ooh," Kurt cooed as he held up a wispy pink blouse with lace insets. "Look at this one. Do you think this shade of pink is too light for my complexion?"

Puck stared at the frilly shirt and cringed. "Um… I think maybe it would look better if it was…"

"Not lacy," Kurt sighed. "You're right. My father would have a cow if I showed up in this blouse. I hate this. Everything is either really frilly and pink or covered in weird appliqués and patterns."

"Maybe we should try another store," Puck said. He looked around the little boutique and he was sure that some women would love this, but not every woman was this… frilly. "Don't department stores have maternity sections?"

Kurt's face lit up. "You are brilliant."

Five minutes later they were in Nordstrom's and Kurt looked much happier. Puck noticed that the prices of the clothes were a bit higher here, but the styles were a lot better. They had everything from the frilly stuff they saw before, to formalwear to business suits. Puck watched as Kurt found several pairs of pants and shorts that had that weird stretchy part at the belly he remembered from when Quinn was pregnant. Other than that, they didn't look particularly different to the pants Kurt normally wore. Kurt picked out mostly t-shirts for the summer, and though they were definitely made for girls, they weren't horribly out of place on a boy. For school later, he found some button down shirts with both long and short sleeves and a couple vests. Though some of the shirts had ruffled fronts, Puck had to admit that they were pretty typical for Kurt. He picked out a couple pairs of yoga pants and jackets next. Finally they got a few sweaters and a coat for when it got cold and were finished much quicker than Puck had expected.

"There's not a lot to choose from," Kurt said when Puck asked. "And it's kinda depressing to think I'm going to get that big before long."

"You'll look really cute with a big belly," Puck said. "Hey, you wanna stop by the baby section and buy something to celebrate?"

Kurt smiled. "Now _that_ I can get excited about."

**PKPKPKPKPK**

Kurt and Puck got home just in time for dinner and were shepherded to the table before they could even put Kurt's bags away. Once the food was served, however, no one actually ate; they all just stared at Kurt and Puck. Kurt was too busy feeding his hungry parasite to worry about why it was so quiet, but Puck noticed and shifted uncomfortably.

"Um… what's up?" Puck asked nervously.

"What's up?" Carole asked incredulously. "We've been dying to hear the results and that's all you can say?"

Kurt laughed and put down his fork long enough to say, "Puck, go get the bag? You know which one I mean. And get the hot sauce while you're up? Please?"

"You mean the one with the little…?"

"That's the one," Kurt said. "And don't forget the hot sauce." Kurt's cravings for spicy food had become a bit of a joke lately. He seemed to put hot sauce on everything. This time it was spaghetti. Kurt didn't wait for Puck to return to go back to eating. Finn seemed to think that was a good idea and started to stuff his face as well. Kurt never thought he would have an appetite to match Finn's, but junior seemed to like to eat. A lot. A minute later, Puck was back and handed Kurt the bottle before handing the bag to Carole.

"Oh Kurt," Carole sighed as she pulled out a little blue romper. "A boy?"

"Puts Delilah out of the running for names," Puck said sadly. He had been very vocal in his campaign for that name. He'd even sung the Tom Jones song by that name to Kurt one evening after dinner.

"You just like the fact that there's a song by that name," Kurt said. "Luckily, there aren't many songs named for boys."

"Well, there's Jeremy," Puck said. "But I don't think that's a good song to name a kid after."

"And Delilah was?" Kurt asked. "Besides, Jeremy definitely isn't a Jewish name."

"Jeremiah is," Puck said, but Kurt scowled at him. Kurt was not naming their kid Jeremy or Jeremiah. Puck shrugged and gave it up.

"A boy?" Burt repeated Carole's earlier question. The two soon-to-be grandparents were stunned and the boys just didn't get what the fuss was.

"Well, yeah," Kurt said. "It was either going to be a boy or a girl. It's a boy this time."

"What about Herschel?" Puck asked, still stuck on the name thing.

"Only if you want your kid to get creamed on the playground," Finn said from across the table before going back to his dinner.

"No Herschel or Ira or any other nerdy names," Kurt said. "I'm not going to listen to this kid bitch at us in fifteen years because we gave him a horrible name."

Puck shrugged. "It doesn't have a good Hebrew equivalent anyway."

"A boy," Burt said with a smile that he shared with Carole.

"I have to say, I was hoping for a girl," Carole said. "I mean, I'm surrounded by boys already. It would be nice to have a little girl around the house. But a boy is wonderful too."

Kurt was intent on his food but stopped to asked, "Hebrew equivalent? I thought we were already looking for Jewish names."

"We are," Puck said. "But Jewish names are mostly Americanized. Hebrew names are… Well, like my Hebrew name is Noach. _Noach ben Ya'akov ha-kohein._ It's the name I was given at my bris and the name they use in temple. Our kid's gonna get his Hebrew name, too, right?"

Kurt had to think about that. He'd said he didn't mind if Puck wanted to pass on his religion to the baby since Kurt didn't have any strong feelings one way or the other. But being Jewish meant more than just attending services once a week. He wasn't sure how he felt about watching his son being circumcised. Then again, Puck was so proud of his Jewish heritage that Kurt couldn't deny him the right to share that with his son. "Yeah, our kid's gonna get his Hebrew name and we'll have a bris if that's what you want."

Puck gave Kurt a grateful smile. He grabbed his hand and squeezed it before going back to his dinner. "How about Asher?"

"Not horrible," Kurt shrugged. "You can put it on the list."

"There's a list?" Burt asked, finally joining the boys' conversation. "What other names are on the list?"

"Kurt nixed a lot of the ones I suggested, so there's only like five names," Puck said.

"Six with Asher," Kurt said. "There's also Ethan, Gabriel, Gideon, Caleb and Joel. Though now I'm going to have to approved based on the English and Hebrew versions of the name."

"The ones on the list are all pretty close to the English version," Puck assured him. "Eitan, Gavriel, Gidon, and Yoel. Caleb is pronounced the same but spelled with a K."

Kurt shrugged. "Not bad. We'll see."

"On the girl's list was Delilah, Adriel, Sephora, Talia, Raisa and Leah," Puck told Burt and Carole.

"Why are the girl names so weird and the boy names so normal?" Finn asked.

"I told you that the boy names were boring," Kurt accused.

"Asher isn't boring," Puck defended. "And neither is Caleb, Jonah, Gabriel or Gideon."

"Jonah's not on the list," Kurt reminded him. "I vetoed that one."

"What about Seth?" Carole suggested. "That's Jewish, isn't it?"

"It's on the acceptable list for middle names," Kurt said, "along with Jared, Daniel, Oren, Edom and Adam."

"What about Ezra?" Burt asked.

"That's Noah's middle name," Kurt said. "And we agreed that we weren't going to name this baby after anyone. He's going to be his own person."

"That rules out Elijah, then," Burt said.

"Elijah?" Finn and Puck asked together.

"Kurt's middle name," Burt said. He looked between the three boys. "What?"

Finn was the one who answered. "Kurt always says his middle name is Elizabeth when anyone asks."

Burt looked at Kurt with a sad smile. "Really?'

"I've thought about changing it legally," Kurt admitted.

Burt was quiet for a minute. "She's the one who picked Elijah. She said that our names shared three letters, so she should get at least the first three letters of your middle name."

"Wait, who's Elizabeth?" Finn asked.

"My mom," Kurt said with a small smile. "She wanted to name me after her?"

Burt nodded. "If you had been a girl, you would have been Leah Elizabeth, a reverse of her two names."

"So does that mean I can put Ezra on the list of middle names?" Puck asked.

"And Elijah," Kurt said with a smile at his dad. "And if I ever have a girl, I think Leah Elizabeth will be a perfect name."

**PKPKPKPKPK**

Puck went to Kurt's room to help him put away his stuff after dinner and then had Kurt remove his shirt so he could give him a real back rub. It wasn't the first time that they had done this, but it was the first time since Kurt's belly really began to grow. He was at 24 weeks now and the bump was still relatively small, but it was definitely noticeable. After about twenty minutes of massaging his aching back, Kurt stood up and reached for his discarded shirt.

If asked later, Puck would swear that he just couldn't help himself. Kurt was standing in front of him without his shirt while Puck sat at the edge of the bed and that belly was right there. Puck leaned forward and kissed the small mound that was his child and then rubbed his cheek over the soft skin there and felt the baby squirm around a little.

Puck knew that Kurt had frozen in place but he couldn't bring himself to pull away. Instead, he placed his hands on either of Kurt's hips and held him in place so that he could explore with his lips and mouth. When Puck's tongue reached Kurt's belly button, however, Puck heard Kurt groan in a way that was familiar even if only from a distant memory.

Kurt finally pulled away, though Puck noted that his breathing was rapid and he was flushed with arousal. The bulge in his pants was a pretty good sign as well. But the words out of Kurt's mouth were not encouraging. "We can't do this."

"Why not?" Puck asked. "It's not like you can get pregnant again." He meant it to be funny, but the joke fell flat.

"I… I don't… Shit. Noah, I care about you," Kurt said. "I don't want to hurt you by using you for sex. My hormones are all over the place right now, and… God they make me want you. But… I'm not… I'm not over Blaine."

Puck closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Are you sure? Because it seems to me like you've been talking about him less and less, and you're not really moping like you were for a while. I mean, I know you probably still feel hurt and a little mad, but are you sure that you still love him? Are you sure that your hormones aren't focusing on me for more reasons than just because I'm here and willing?"

"I don't know," Kurt said. "I'm so messed up in my head right now. And the baby hormones are making me hornier than I've ever been in my life. I'm not sure I can distinguish between the two right now."

Puck stood up and walked over to where Kurt was standing. "I'll take that chance. Because I think this thing between us is more than hormones and more than bonding over our kid. I care about you and I'm betting that you care about me too. So, if I can only give you physical release right now, I'll do that and hope that you figure out how great we are together later."

He didn't give Kurt a chance to respond. Instead, he kissed him hard. And this time, Kurt didn't pull away. Puck drew Kurt back onto the bed and pushed him gently onto his side so that they were lying face to face. When their lips met again, Kurt thought he had died and gone to heaven. Puck tasted of their dinner and lemonade and something uniquely Puck. Their lips caressed each other for long sensuous moments before Puck dared to lick at Kurt's bottom lip, requesting entry. Kurt groaned and parted his lips happily. The next few minutes were a series of long slow hot kisses that melted Kurt from the inside out until he was a shimmering blob of jelly in the hot sun.

"Oh fuck, Noah," Kurt murmured when the other boy moved from his mouth down to suck at his neck and collar.

Kurt wondered if Puck's attentions would leave a mark and whether anyone else would notice. Puck didn't seem to care, however, and simply continued to devour Kurt. When he rolled Kurt on top of him, they both groaned as their straining erections were pressed together. In this position of power, Kurt began shifting, slowly rocking over Puck, careful of the baby bump between them, and they created the most delicious friction as Puck spread his legs wider for better contact.

Puck groaned, "I had almost forgotten how much fun just rubbing together could be."

Kurt was incapable of speech by this point. His entire being was focused on enjoying the feelings washing over him. Kurt could feel the pressure building up inside and claimed Puck's mouth back with his own. He needed to smother the scream that was threatening to be dragged out of him.

When Kurt's orgasm did hit, it was so intense that he thought he just might pass out, but the gray faded away until he could fully appreciate the experience. Puck was still rocking and moaning under him and so Kurt pushed his hand between them to add more pressure and friction. Puck soon jerked his hips tightly against Kurt's hand and moaned into Kurt's mouth.

"Next time, I want to taste you," Puck whispered with Kurt wrapped tightly in his arms. He was a little startled when Kurt rolled off the bed and rose to his feet. Puck watched him grab a towel and his pajamas and head for the door. "Where are you going?"

Kurt stopped at the door and said, "I need to shower. And… thank you, but I don't think there should be a next time." And with that, he left Puck to wallow in misery.


	6. Chapter 6

Puck sat on Kurt's bed for a long time. He was absolutely devastated for the first ten minutes. And then he was angry for then next ten. Finally, he was able to come to grips with everything. Puck might not be the smartest guy around but there were some things he knew. He knew sex from his vast experiences with both girls and boys, and he knew what he and Kurt had shared had been more than just sex. He knew Kurt from years of watching and wanting, and he knew that Kurt wasn't as immune to Puck as he tried to pretend. No, Kurt was afraid of feeling anything for Puck, which got Puck to wondering why that would be. Puck finally got up and went to his own room to ponder that question.

**PKPKPKPKPK**

Meanwhile, Kurt was down in the kitchen crying into his bowl of ice cream. He had showered and had intended on going right to bed, but the baby was hungry and so he headed to the kitchen instead. His four course snack had started with popcorn with hot sauce, progressed through Finn's secret stash of Twinkies, moved on to left over Chinese food before finally arriving at the pint of butter brickle ice cream from the local dairy that he was demolishing.

"Hey, kiddo," Burt asked as he entered the kitchen. He saw that Kurt was crying again and was a little wary. He cried a lot these days and sometimes over nothing at all. Sometimes he got very defensive if Burt even mentioned it. But still… "You okay?"

Kurt shook his head and stuffed another spoonful of ice cream into his mouth before saying, "I'm a horrid person. And I'm fat to boot!"

"You are not fat," Burt said as he patted Kurt's shoulder awkwardly. He had never been good with Elizabeth's mood swings when she was pregnant, and he definitely didn't know how to handle Kurt's mood swings either. "And you aren't a horrid person either. Tell me why you think that?"

Kurt hiccoughed and took another bite of ice cream. "Because I am. I'm pregnant at 17. I'm pining after some guy who doesn't want me or my kid while the father of my kid is right here just waiting for me to say the word. And what's worse? I go and do something I knew would hurt Noah. After all the nice things he's done for me. The foot rubs and back massages, the way he just gets what I ask him to get and never complains… Did you know he went out at three in the morning last week to get me peanut butter to put on my bologna sandwich? Oh, that sounds good. Maybe I should have that next."

"Forget the food for a minute," Burt said, not wanting to think about the disgusting things Kurt had begun to eat lately. "What did you do to Noah?"

Kurt blushed set the empty ice cream carton aside. "I don't think you want to know." Burt just gave Kurt a look and Kurt acquiesced. "Fine. My hormones are all over the place and I've been feeling… And he said he'd take care of me and I said no, because I knew I would just be using him and then he said he didn't mind, so I let him… take care of me. But afterward, I was mean to him and told him I didn't want to do it again. But then, by the time I got out of the shower I was feeling horny again and I know that I'll just go back and do it again and he's gonna be hurt again. And that's why I'm a horrid person. I'm more concerned with getting off than being a good friend to the father of my child."

Burt blinked at Kurt once, twice, three times, before taking a deep breath. "Okay. That was probably more than I needed to know about my son, but we can work from this. Are you sure you still have feelings for this Blaine kid? Because it doesn't really seem that way when you and Noah are together."

Kurt shrugged and fiddled with his spoon. "I'm so mad at him and hurt by the fact that he just walked away from me when things got tough. But I also know how great he is most of the time and I really miss him. He was my best friend for months before we started dating. He understands me better than almost anyone."

"But he's not here," Burt said gently.

"And Noah is," Kurt said. "I know that."

"You're obviously attracted to him," Burt said. "And you get along well. He's a good kid, Kurt. You could do a lot worse. And he's that baby's daddy."

Kurt huffed. "I don't want to be with someone just because we have a kid together. Blaine said I would give up everything for this kid, but he was wrong. I'm not going to compromise my heart for anyone."

Burt sat back in his chair and sighed. "I'm not sure how to help you kiddo. I liked Blaine. I like Noah. I also know who I would choose for you if I had any say in the matter. But this is your life and you need to work this out for yourself. As for this thing with Noah, I think that you should probably try to avoid saying things that would deliberately hurt him, but if he's willing to take a chance on changing your mind, that's his choice. Just be honest with him."

"I'll try," Kurt said. "But it's hard when the truth changes hourly."

**PKPKPKPKPK**

Three days later, Kurt jumped Puck in his bedroom and tore at his clothes. Puck was quick on the uptake and not about to pass up the opportunity he was being presented, so they soon ended up naked and sweaty in Puck's bed. Luckily no one else was home at the time to hear their marathon session of hand jobs, blow jobs, frottage and fucking. By the time Kurt was done, Puck thought he might never need to have sex again for the rest of his life.

"I'm still not in love with you," Kurt said as they lay in Puck's bed together. He was wrapped in Puck's arms and they had their fingers entwined and their hand resting on Kurt's swollen belly.

"I know," Puck said wearily.

Kurt rolled over to look at Puck. "I do have feelings for you, just not those feelings. At least not yet. But I like being with you, and I don't just mean in bed. We have more fun together than I ever would have thought likely."

"I'm a fun guy," Puck said with a small grin. "Who wouldn't like me?"

Kurt rolled his eyes. "Anyway… I was thinking that maybe we could give dating a try."

"Dating," Puck said thoughtfully. "Like going to dinner at Breadstix and movies and shit?"

"Yeah," Kurt said. "And sex. Lots and lots of sex."

"Yeah, okay," Puck said. "I can go for that."

"Good," Kurt said and then rolled on top of Puck. "Now I think we have time for one more go before my Dad and Carole get home if you hurry."

Puck groaned, but felt his cock slowly rising back to life at the thought of being inside of Kurt's tight heat again. Maybe he wasn't as exhausted as he thought.

**PKPKPKPKPK**

Kurt was at 27 weeks when they started back to school. He was officially in his third trimester and his belly was now plain for any and all to see. In Kurt's opinion, he looked like he swallowed a watermelon whole. On top of that, his feet and ankles liked to swell up if he stood too long, he was getting stretch marks (despite his almost hourly applications of various creams that were made to prevent such disasters), his hair was refusing to cooperate no matter how many styling products he used, and his face was breaking out in pimples. Dressed in maternity skinny jeans and a plain white button down shirt, Kurt felt frumpy and ugly. Needless to say, the first day back at McKinley was not a happy one for Kurt Hummel.

"Boo, you are getting huge," Mercedes said as soon as Kurt and Puck entered the school. Kurt immediately burst into tears and headed for the bathroom. Puck glared at Mercedes and followed him. "What? What did I say?"

Mercedes followed the boys into the girls' bathroom and found Puck holding and soothing Kurt as best he could. "You aren't fat and you aren't ugly." Kurt mumbled something that Mercedes couldn't hear. "I don't care what she said. She doesn't know shit. I say you're beautiful and I'm a lot more important."

Mercedes bristled at that, but kept her mouth shut. She had, after all, just made her best friend cry.

"I have pimples," Kurt said as he looked up at Puck.

Puck chuckled. "Everyone gets pimples. They'll go away. And they can't change the fact that you are the hottest boy at this school. Aside from me, of course."

Kurt laughed at that and kissed Puck's cheek. "Sorry I'm such a pain in the ass."

"You're my pain in the ass, so I'll forgive you," Puck said.

"Oh, 'Cedes," Kurt said as he finally noticed his best friend standing there. "Sorry about that."

"No, I'm the one that should be apologizing," Mercedes said. "That was totally insensitive of me."

Kurt shrugged. "It's true though. I'm like a beached whale these days."

"Cutest beached whale I've ever seen," Mercedes said with a smile. "Let's go get ready for class, huh? Homeroom will be starting soon."

The three of them walked to Kurt's locker together and Puck turned to Mercedes while Kurt got his books out. "Keep an eye on him. His balance is all wacky and he tends to trip a lot. Be there to catch him when he does?"

"I will," Mercedes said. "You better go. Your homeroom is on the other side of school, isn't it?"

Puck shrugged. "If I'm late, I'm late. But I should get going." He turned to Kurt. "I'll see you after second period?"

"I'll wait for you by my class," Kurt confirmed. He leaned over and gave Puck a quick kiss before going back to sorting through his locker. Puck gave him a lingering look and then turned to go.

Mercedes watched the interaction and waited until Puck was out of earshot. "That boy is head over heels for you."

"I know," Kurt sighed and slammed his locker closed.

"You make it sound like that's a bad thing," Mercedes said.

"It is when I don't feel the same for him," Kurt told her. "We're dating and I like him and he's really hot in bed but…"

"I get it," Mercedes said as she led the way to their homeroom. "What are you going to do?"

"Be honest with him and see where things go," Kurt said. "Maybe I'll fall in love with him in time."

**PKPKPKPKPK**

The basement renovation was completed at the end of September and Kurt was more than ready for the move. He'd been putting off buying anything for the baby until they had some place to put it and now, with only nine weeks left until his due date, he was more than ready to get started on decorating the nursery.

Shopping was not nearly as much fun as it had once been. Puck, Carole, Mercedes and Kurt all went to the Babies R Us in town the second week in October and they hadn't been there for more than an hour before Kurt was tired and ready to go home. The baby was pressing on his diaphragm making breathing more difficult and making him more tired than he should be. He held out long enough to get the furniture ordered, choose the bedding and make some selections for the registry. The clerk who helped him told him he could add to the registry online and Kurt was glad for that option, since he wasn't sure how often he wanted to go through this.

The next weekend, Kurt supervised as Puck, Burt and Finn moved his things to his new room. Puck was a little dismayed by the thought that Kurt and the baby would be so far from him now, but he sucked it up and did what needed to be done.

Things were going well between them, but Puck knew that Kurt still didn't think he was in love. It was kind of weird, because Puck sort of thought that Kurt was in love with him. And Burt and Mercedes had both said they thought Kurt was in love with him. Pretty much everyone concerned thought Kurt was in love with him. But until Kurt believed it, there would always be this distance between them, a gap that Puck couldn't cross.

They spent most of their time together unless Puck was working or at football. They went on dates. The sex was getting less frequent as Kurt got tired more easily these days and just wasn't in the mood, but Kurt liked to snuggle and they would spend hours together watching television or a movie just curled up together on the sofa. And now that the basement was finished, they could cuddle up in the sitting room down there without having to worry about being interrupted. In fact, that was what they were doing the second week in November when they had an unexpected visitor.

They'd had an early dinner and Kurt was hungry again, so Puck made microwave popcorn in the new kitchenette. He brought the bowl over to Kurt and had just sat down when Carole called down the stairs. "Kurt, you have a visitor."

Kurt and Puck looked at each other and Puck went to the stairs. "Can you send them down? Kurt's not up for a trip up the stairs."

Puck went back to the kitchen to get Kurt's water and was carrying it over to him when the visitor came through the open apartment door, causing both Puck and Kurt to gasp with surprise.

"Blaine!"


	7. Chapter 7

"What are you doing here?" Kurt asked. His tone was cool, but there was some light in his eyes that Puck recognized as hope.

"Why don't I go upstairs and let you talk?" Puck asked Kurt. Kurt nodded, barely sparing Puck a glance. Puck's heart was slowly being ripped in two and he didn't think he could take much more. "Call me if you need something."

Puck looked at the two boys one more time before taking the stairs two at a time. He headed straight for his bedroom and slammed the door shut.

Back in the basement, Blaine had moved from his position by the stairs to sit beside Kurt on the sofa. "I missed you."

Kurt chuffed a quiet laugh. "Really?"

"Of course," Blaine said. "Kurt, you know how much you mean to me."

"Yeah," Kurt sighed. "I do know." He scooted to the edge of the sofa and rocked to try and get enough momentum to stand up. "Fuck! Will you give me a hand?"

Blaine stood and helped Kurt from the sofa. Kurt nodded his thanks and then began to pace. Blaine sat back down and took in the sight of his ex-boyfriend. At almost nine months pregnant, he was really big now. He was wearing a fitted t-shirt and yoga pants and he waddled more than walked, his legs bowed to accommodate the shift in his center of gravity. He had one hand rubbing soothing over his belly and one on his back for support. The weirdest part was seeing Kurt's belly move through the fitted tee.

"Is that… the baby?" Blaine asked. Kurt stopped and looked down where the baby was poking at his side.

"Yeah, that's him," Kurt said. "He's a little agitated. He tends to be rather sensitive to my moods and the tone of voice of the people around me."

"You look really… great," Blaine said as he stood up and walked over to Kurt. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry for walking away from you like that and leaving you to deal with this all alone. I wouldn't blame you if you never forgave me, but I hope you will."

As he spoke, Blaine got ever closer and Kurt allowed it. He didn't back away even when Blaine wrapped his arms around him. He didn't back away when Blaine leaned forward to kiss him. It was a little awkward since Blaine wasn't used to accommodating for Kurt's belly, but their lips met and their kiss was familiar and warm and filled with affection. What it wasn't filled with was passion.

Kurt pulled away. "I can't do this."

Blaine let him go. "I'm not sure what else I can do to make things right between us."

"It's not that," Kurt said. He rubbed his back where he had been feeling a slight twinge of pain all afternoon and went back to pacing. "All this time I thought I was in love with you. I thought that if you would just come back that everything would be great and I would be happy. But I'm not. I'm not happy and I'm not in love with you."

"You aren't?" Blaine asked. His voice was filled with pain, but there was also acceptance. "It's Puck isn't it?"

"No… and yes. All this time I've been telling him that I'm not in love with him," Kurt continued without acknowledging Blaine at all. He kept pacing and rubbing his back as he talked through everything. "I thought I was in love with you, but I wasn't. I thought I wasn't in love with him, but I am. Good Gaga, I'm an idiot sometimes."

"You aren't an idiot," Blaine said. "You've been confused and rightfully so with everything that's been going on. And I haven't been very helpful to you. Some friend I turned out to be."

Kurt paused next to Blaine and laid a hand on his shoulder. "You've always been a good friend. You respected my desire for time and space. You were right about a lot of things that day. I did fall for the father of my kid. And I'm sorry I reacted so badly to everything."

"I guess we just weren't meant to be," Blaine said sadly.

"I think we could be friends though," Kurt said hopefully. "Don't you?"

Blaine hesitated. Was he ready to see Kurt with Puck? Then again, having Kurt in his life as just a friend was better than not having him in his life at all. "Yeah, we can be friends."

Kurt hugged Blaine and gave him a grateful kiss. Unfortunately, that was precisely the moment when Puck decided to come down the stairs and check on Kurt. Without waiting for an explanation, he turned and went back the way he came. He slammed the door at the top of the stairs on his way out.

Kurt looked towards the stairs. "Was that…? Shit." He waddled over to the stairs and slowly made his way up as Blaine followed closely behind him. He wasn't sure if it was the baby or the situation, but Kurt really didn't look very steady on his feet right then.

"Noah!" Kurt yelled as they went, but there was no answer. Finally they reached the upstairs and Kurt went to the living room while Blaine followed Kurt's directions to check Puck's bedroom. They met back in the foyer and Kurt opened the front door. "His truck is gone."

"Call him," Blaine said. "Or I can go look for him and explain."

"You don't understand," Kurt said with tears in his eyes. "I've been so mean to him and I kept telling him I didn't love him but I did. I do!"

Blaine hugged Kurt and let him cry for a minute. "You call him, Kurt. Tell him what you told me. He'll understand. He loves you."

Kurt took a deep and shaky breath before letting it out slowly. Then he groaned. "Um, would you mind going to get my phone? I don't think I can face the stairs again right now. It's on the coffee table."

Blaine chuckled and headed down to get the phone.

**PKPKPKPKPK**

Puck looked at his ringing phone and considered tossing it into the water, but he knew that was a dumb idea. Instead he shut the ringer off and stared out at reservoir. This was his favorite place to go when he needed to think. He knew that he had no right to be angry or hurt or whatever. He knew that Kurt had never made any promises to him. He knew that Kurt had feelings for Blaine long before he pressured him to start up their… whatever.

Puck swore and tossed a stone out at the still water and watched the small ripples get larger until they faded into nothing. He felt like those small waves, small and insignificant to Kurt's life, fading away until he disappeared altogether. Perhaps he should just let him go and try to be happy that he would at least have their son to love.

But he couldn't do that. He loved Kurt. He loved Kurt more than he had ever thought possible and living in the same house, planning for their child together, had only made him love the smaller boy more. The things that Kurt had spoken of, their future together as a family, had only fueled the already burning love. To have those dreams ripped away was worse than any pain Puck had ever felt. It was worse than having his father walk away. It was worse than having his mother reject him. And he had no one to blame but himself. Kurt had been nothing but honest about how he felt for Blaine.

Puck tossed another stone and swiped at the tears that seemed to fall from his eyes no matter how hard he tried to suppress them.

He wasn't really sure how long he had been sitting there, crying by the side of the reservoir when he realized that someone was coming, only that it had probably been a couple hours at least. The panting breath coming from over the side of the hill gave away the fact that Puck was no longer alone before he could see the intruder. Puck had no interest in seeing whoever it was, so he just sat and waited for them to reach the top.

"You are a fuckwit," came Kurt's angry voice between harsh gasps for breath. "I can't believe you made me climb all the way up here to get you."

Puck scrambled to his feet and held out his hand to help Kurt climb the last few feet to the crest of the reservoir wall, now feeling guilty for not checking to see who it was sooner. "What are you doing here? You shouldn't be climbing like this. What if you fell?"

"You should have answered your damn phone," Kurt countered. He held onto Puck's hand as he carefully, if gracelessly, sat down in the grass.

Puck sat down with him. "You didn't say why you're here."

Kurt looked at Puck and saw the wariness and pain in his eyes and his superficial anger faded. "I was looking for you. I… What you saw wasn't what you think."

"What was it?" Puck asked suspiciously. He was glad that Kurt had come, but confused as to what had changed and unsure if he was going to like the answer.

"It was me telling Blaine that I'm not in love with him anymore, that I just want to be friends," Kurt said quietly. "It was me thanking him because he said we could still be friends."

Puck looked at Kurt carefully. "You aren't in love with him anymore?"

Kurt shook his head. "No, I'm not." He huffed a short laugh. "Blaine knows me better than I know myself. He said back in June that I would end up falling for the father of my kid, and he was right."

"You…?" Puck stopped and swallowed hard. "You don't love him anymore?"

Kurt looked into Puck's eyes and gave him a tentative smile. "I'm in love with _you_. I was just too busy being an idiot to realize. I am so sorry. Forgive me?"

Puck didn't answer with words, instead he kissed Kurt breathless. "God, I love you so much." Kurt was still breathing hard and he winced as Puck pulled away. "What's the matter?"

Kurt took a few steadying breaths and waited for a moment before saying, "I think I might be in labor."

Puck's eyes widened and he swore. All sorts of scenarios flashed through his head, most of them involving him delivering the baby without help. "Oh shit. What do I do?"

"Get me down from here to start," Kurt said dryly. And then he winced again as another pain shot through him as the muscles around his belly contracted like a cinch. "This really was a bad idea. I'm not sure I can get down without help."

Puck rolled his eyes as he helped Kurt to his feet. "I still can't believe you climbed up the reservoir at 9 months pregnant."

Puck carefully stepped down the hill, allowing Kurt to step behind him and use him to keep his balance. Kurt continued to rant on the way down to keep his mind from the pain and fear that threatened to overwhelm him. "Yeah, well, I can't believe that you shut off your phone when I'm so close to my due date."

Puck paused to let Kurt breathe through another pain before starting their slow descent again. "Yeah, well, I was upset and you still have two weeks to go."

The conversation went along those lines for the rest of the seemingly endless journey down the side of the embankment. They had to stop twice more while Kurt panted through waves of pain, but they eventually reached the bottom of the hill where Puck's truck was parked. Blaine was sitting in his car behind the truck, having driven Kurt there. When he saw Puck helping Kurt walk, he climbed from the car and came over, his face filled with concern.

"What's wrong?" Blaine asked as he helped Kurt from the other side.

"What's wrong? You let a pregnant man climb the reservoir," Puck growled.

"That has nothing to do with anything," Kurt said calmly. "Blaine, can you go back to our house and let my dad know that Puck is taking me to the hospital?"

"You're in labor?" Blaine asked. His face was now pale.

"Yes," Puck said as he helped Kurt into the truck. "Make sure they grab Kurt's hospital bag from the front hall closet. We'll need that."

Blaine nodded and went back to his car. He pulled out right after Puck and headed in the opposite direction.


	8. Chapter 8

Kurt had to stifle a laugh as Puck dragged him into the ER and threatened the staff with bodily harm if they didn't help Kurt right away. Kurt might have objected to his rather volatile approach if he hadn't been having contractions every two minutes by then. How he had ever gotten so far along without ever noticing that he was in labor was a mystery to him, but he knew from their birthing classes that two minutes was a lot closer to giving birth than he was really comfortable facing while sitting in an ER waiting room.

Once the staff understood just how close to giving birth Kurt was, they hurried him along to the maternity ward without much fuss. The staff in the maternity ward were used to fathers being a little overenthusiastic in their concern for their partners, so they just nodded sympathetically when Puck began tossing threats around and then they went ahead and did what they were going to do.

Kurt was put into a labor and delivery room, hooked up to monitors and then the on-duty doctor checked him over. "Dr. Feinstein is on the way," The doctor reassured them. "But in the meantime, I'm going to be sticking close and monitoring your transition. The birth canal has formed properly and I expect that you'll be fully dilated in less than an hour."

Once he left, Puck swore. "Less than an hour? How long have you been feeling contractions?"

Kurt shrugged. "I don't know. I was having some back pain for a few hours, but I just that that they were muscle spasms."

Puck sighed and took the seat beside his boyfriend. "You ready for this?"

"Not in the least," Kurt said calmly. "But I figure you've done this once already and Dr. Feinstein's been through it countless times, so we'll survive."

Just then, Carole, Burt, Finn and Blaine all came rushing through the open door. Carole was the first to speak. "How are you sweetie?"

Kurt didn't have a chance to answer as another contraction ripped through him and he cursed a blue streak, using words that Burt had never heard his son use before. Once the pain had passed, Kurt lay back in the bed and huffed. "I feel like a bear is trying to claw its way out of my body."

For the next several contractions, Kurt had an entire cheering section, though Finn stayed far away from him and tried to look at anything but Kurt. Puck got Kurt's focus out of the bag and pinned it on the board across from the bed. It was a picture of and outfit from Armani's winter collection that Kurt loved. Each time a pain hit, he would focus on that picture and try to think about the day when he was thin again and able to wear such things.

Doctor Feinstein came in and saw all the people in Kurt's room. "Well, it's good that you have so much support, but I'm going to have to ask all but two of you to leave."

Puck was staying, there was no question of that. Besides the fact that he was the father, he was also Kurt's birthing coach. There was a quick discussion but in the end, Kurt was the one who decided that Carole would stay. As much as he loved his father, he knew that Carole would be able to cope with anything that might happen during the delivery. She'd been through it and she simply handled these things better than Burt Hummel.

"Somebody needs to call Mercedes," Kurt called out to the three men who were leaving to go wait in the family waiting room.

"I'll let her know," Finn promised.

And then things seemed to happen very quickly. Dr, Feinstein checked Kurt again and found that he was ready to start pushing. Nurses were called in to assist and there was a flurry of activity. Carole stood on Kurt's right side and Puck on his left and they held his hands through every contraction, giving him encouragement and comfort as the strain of the whole thing began to wear him down.

It took longer than Kurt had thought to actually go from pushing to having a baby in his arms, and yet when he looked back on it, even while the nurse was still cleaning him up, it didn't seem long at all.

And then their baby was in his arms and he knew that having this little boy was worth all the pain and sacrifice. Things would not be easy, but it would all be worth it if he could make sure that this little boy had a happy life.

**PKPKPKPKPK**

Puck and Kurt had some time alone with their son after they were moved from the delivery room to a regular room. They were both quiet as they watched the life that they had created together squirm and blink and do all those things that newborns do. Mostly he slept, tired after his journey into the world.

"He's so beautiful," Kurt whispered. "He's got your eyes. And your long eyelashes."

"He's got your chin and nose," Puck said. "And your mouth too, I think."

"His hair is curly," Kurt said with bemusement.

"Um, yeah, that's from me," Puck said. "Why do you think I keep my hair so short?"

Kurt looked at his boyfriend and smiled. "I bet you'd look great with your hair all curly."

Puck snorted. "I'll show you pictures from when I was a kid and you can decide for yourself."

"I bet you were an adorable kid," Kurt said. "I was a little chubster. Chipmunk cheeks and fat knees."

"I bet you were an adorable chubster," Puck said with a grin. "Think he'll be a fat baby? Fat babies are always so cute."

Kurt glared at Puck. "Don't you even think about over feeding our baby so you can play with his chubby cheeks."

"I'll just have to make do with your chubby cheeks," Puck said as he kissed Kurt's cheek and then pinched his other cheek.

"Hey!" Kurt said and slapped Puck hand from his ass. "My cheeks aren't chubby! Either set! That's from the baby!"

Puck shrugged. "I like you with a little extra meat on your bones. But you can look however you want. I'll always think you're beautiful."

"Awww…." Both boys turned to see Mercedes at the door. "You three are just too damn cute for words."

Finn and Blaine followed her into the room. "Is it okay if we visit for a few minutes?" Blaine asked.

"Mom and Burt are talking with the doctor," Finn said. "They said we should visit first since we have to go home soon. We've got school tomorrow."

Mercedes pulled out her camera and began snapping pictures of the baby and the two boys. Kurt growled at her. "Mercedes! No pictures of me in this hideous state if you please!"

"Fine," Mercedes huffed. "Give me that baby and I'll have Finn take pictures of me holding him."

Puck and Kurt shared a look and then Kurt handed his son over. Finn took the obligatory pictures and then the baby was passed to Blaine and more pictures were taken. Uncle Finn got his turn and finally Daddy Puck. By the time they were finished, Burt and Carole had come into the room and more pictures were taken. When Kurt started to nod off and the baby began to cry, Burt and Carole shooed the teens off and then had a quick visit before they themselves headed for home.

The nurse came to take their son to the nursery for the night around 9 and Puck and Kurt were finally alone.

"I love you," Puck told Kurt and then kissed his temple.

Kurt blinked sleepily up at him. "Love you too, Noah."

**PKPKPKPKPK**

Eight days later, as promised, they held a bris for little Caleb Oren Hummel Puckerman. All of their friends and family came out and everyone brought food, enough so that there was enough to feed an army of regular people for a month or one Finn for a week. The only one of their friends who had ever attended a bris before was Rachel and most of the boys were very uncomfortable with the whole concept, but they came anyway.

There were two surprise guests at the bris, however. When the doorbell rang just before the ceremony was set to take place, Carole was the one who answered and she led their unexpected guests inside.

"Noah?" Carole called the young man's attention away from the debate he, Artie and Mike were having over some video game. "Noah, you have guests."

Noah stood up and Kurt decided to go with him, Caleb in his arms. The couple followed Carole into the hall where a man and a girl that Kurt had never seen before were standing. The family resemblance between Noah and the man, however, was unmistakable.

"Noah!" the young girl cried as soon she saw him and threw herself into his arms. "I've missed you so much!"

"I've missed you too, Miri," Puck said hoarsely. He hugged her tightly. "How did you…?"

The man spoke. "I've… been negotiating with your mother for a while now. Miri's going to be living with me from now on while your mom gets treatment for her drinking."

Puck swallowed hard and Kurt wrapped his free arm around his boyfriend. Puck pulled him close even as he spoke. "Where have you been?"

"Columbus," the man said. "I never wanted to leave either of you, but things were… If I had known that she would be that way, there is no way I would ever have left you two with her. I'm so sorry Noah."

Puck had tears streaming down his face as he walked into the older man's arms and let him wrap him in a hug.

"Is this my nephew?" Miri asked Kurt, drawing his attention away from the reunion.

Kurt smiled at her. "It is. Miriam, this is Caleb."

"Can I hold him?" Miriam asked.

"Later, squirt," Puck said and ruffled her hair. The hug had ended, but Puck was still had the older man's arm across his shoulders. "I think Dad should get a chance to hold his grandson first."

Kurt stepped forward and handed the baby over to Puck's father. He had tears in his eyes as he accepted the boy into his arms. "He looks like you did as a baby, Noah." He stopped and looked at Kurt and smiled. "Though I can see that there is much of you there as well."

"I'm Kurt Hummel," Kurt said and held his hand out.

"Jacob Puckerman," Jacob said and carefully shifted Caleb to shake his hand.

"And this is Caleb Oren Hummel Puckerman," Puck said. He looked into his son's face and said, "Caleb, this is your Granddad."

**PKPKPKPKPK**

Jacob and Miriam stayed and participated in the bris and Caleb received his Hebrew name: _Kaleb ben Noach ha-kohein_. Afterward, the three spent some time catching up and getting to know each other once again. Kurt and the rest of his family gave them space and privacy for their reunion, but once they had left, Kurt was quick to usher his boyfriend downstairs with the excuse that they needed to put Caleb to bed.

"So?" Kurt asked once Caleb was sleeping and the monitor had been turned on.

"He said I could come live with him," Puck said. "I told him no. I want to be here for Caleb and you. He said he was proud of me."

"There's a lot to be proud of," Kurt told him.

Puck looked at Kurt. "You know, for years, I dreamed of him showing up and getting Miri and me the hell out of there. And I'm glad he was here today, but… it was too late for me. I mean, I think I want to get to know him and all, but I'm not the kid he left behind. Miri's still young enough. She's got time to get past all that. Besides, Ma was never as harsh with her as she was with me."

Kurt hugged him. "Give it time. You can't expect everything to be perfect right away. Give yourself time to get to know him and do what feels right to you."

"I want Caleb to know his other grandfather," Puck agreed. "I'll work it out for him if nothing else."

"I'm glad," Kurt said and hugged Puck.

"He's made some money," Puck said. "Offered to help us out with childcare and stuff. I think we should take him up on it."

"We can talk about it with Dad and Carole," Kurt said with a smile. "I'm sure they'll appreciate the help."

They sat down on the sofa in the sitting room and curled up together. "How do you feel?"

"A little in shock to be honest," Puck said. "I mean… he just turned up out of nowhere. He said that he found out about Caleb and the bris from Dr. Feinstein. He goes to our synagogue, you know? But he was going to come find me anyway. Miri contacted him and told him that Ma was getting worse. I'm not sure why she didn't tell me when she called, but I'm glad he came down to help her."

"I'm glad you've got your dad back," Kurt said. "I think it'll be good for you to reconnect with him."

"Yeah," Puck said. They were quiet again for a while. "How long did the doctor say before you're cleared for sex?"

Kurt laughed and punched Puck's arm playfully. "Ass."

**Epilogue**

Amazingly enough, Kurt and Puck beat the odds and stayed together. They had both known that high school romances don't often last a lifetime, so they had taken their time and not rushed into anything. They didn't actually get married until Kurt had finished graduate school. They had both gone to college at the Lima branch of OSU and gotten their undergraduate degrees, Puck in Advertising and Marketing and Kurt in Languages. Puck got a job in Pittsburgh working for an advertising agency and supported the small family while Kurt continued his education at Carnegie Mellon. Caleb was in kindergarten when Kurt finally graduated.

They had a small wedding the same weekend as Kurt's graduation, when everyone would already be in town. That same week, Kurt was offered a position at Duquesne teaching French. He had only been teaching a few weeks when he found out he was pregnant again. Leah Elizabeth was born just hours after Kurt had administered his last final of the spring semester. Two years later, Michael Jacob came into the world. After that, Kurt swore off having any more children. Six years after that Joel Zachary was born and Kurt threatened to castrate Puck if he didn't get a vasectomy.

The relationship between Puck and his father was strained for a while, but Jacob was a regular visitor to the Hummel-Puckerman house in Pittsburgh. And When Miri graduated and decided go to school at Duquesne, he had even more reason to come visit. Unfortunately, Judith never did get her life cleaned up and she died in a drunken driving accident when Miri was a freshman in college.

Another regular visitor to the Hummel-Puckerman house was Blaine. He and Kurt were able to rescue their friendship, and Puck even learned to like the "Hobbit" after a few years. Blaine's entertainment career was short lived. He went to New York as he had planned and was in a couple small off-Broadway shows before realizing that he wanted more than to just chase after roles that were few and far between. So he had signed up for classes at Columbia, much to his father's relief, and had eventually gone on to become a doctor. He met and married the love of his life not long after finishing his residency at a hospital in Philadelphia.

Things weren't always easy for Puck and Kurt. They had successes and failures. They had their fair share of tough times. There were even times when they thought it might be easier to just split up and go their separate ways. But in the end, they were always able to work through their troubles and find a way to recapture the love that had built slowly over those weeks and months that they were awaiting the birth of their son.

Most of the time true love doesn't have a happily ever after… but when the happy outweighs the unhappy and you work hard to keep it together, true love can last a lifetime.

**The End**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Well, folks, that's the end of another adventure in the Glee fandom. I know i didn't spend a whole lot of time explaining the mechanics of childbirth for a male in this universe, but... well, I figure it's not really important why it works, just that it does, right? Hope you all enjoyed the story. Jules


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